Dear Parents

A very warm welcome (considering the weather!) to the start of our new school year! I hope you've all had a relaxing summer and enjoyed some fun activities with your wonderful children. It was so lovely to see them return with a spring in their step and full of smiles and enthusiasm. Long may it continue! The staff have returned refreshed and raring to go, and we couldn't have wished for a better start to the term, everyone has settled in really well. We especially want to welcome our new faces, some of whom are already very familiar to us. Mr Taylor has already made a huge impact on the school with his endless energy and exuberance. Mr Williams in Foxes class has been busy introducing himself to his new class through the doorstep visits, while Mrs Richardson in Dolphins has hit the ground running and already done some wonderful work with her new class. We also welcome our trainee teacher, Miss Palmer, to Parrots class and next week Miss Barrett, a student from Chelmsford College to Squirrels class. They will both be with us for much of the year.

In today's assembly, children and staff expressed what they enjoyed most about returning to school. For me, it was definitely seeing so many smiling faces greet me at the gate on Wednesday morning. In the afternoon I had lots of thumbs up, as happy children went home with their parents. It made me smile too. 🙂

I am getting used to my new role, and would like to thank Mr Taylor, the office staff, the amazing school team and you, our lovely families, for your support, patience and kind messages. This is a really exciting time for the whole school community and I look forward to working with you all as we strengthen the partnership with the Junior school, so that together we achieve the very best outcomes for all the children in our care.

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

Best wishes,

Tracey Wilson

Years 1 and 2 will hold welcome meetings for parents in the coming weeks. These are indicated in the Diary Dates 2023-24, which we have sent home today. Please make a note of these for your diary.
Clubs begin for Years 1 & 2 next week, please ensure you check the timetable so that you know when to pick up your children, as the days are different from last year! Thank you for your patience as we trial our new booking system - you can still book places on our Thursday clubs in the Payments section of ParentMail.
Piano lessons start next Wednesday, so if you have received confirmation of your place, please ensure that you have paid before lessons begin.
Forest School lessons also begin next week. This half term, Sharks will have their lesson on Tuesdays and Parrots on Thursdays. After half term it will be Dolphins and Turtles' turn. Please make sure that children come to school in their Forest School clothing, we have sent you a ParentMail regarding necessary preparations.
From next week, the children should come to school in their full PE kit on PE days. This is Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Year 1 and Thursdays and Fridays for Year 2. If you are concerned about children wearing their kit 2 days in a row, they can wear a plain blue/white t-shirt the following day if necessary. We are trialling this in order to maximise the amount of activity time for PE lessons and reduce the amount of lost property!

Emergency contact details must be up to date. Please email us at parents@writtleinfantschool.com if your details have changed.
Any food brought to school must not contain nuts or egg-based foods (e.g. egg mayo, scotch egg, omelette etc.).
We all have a duty to safeguard the children in our care. If you have any concerns about a child, please contact the school, the Chairs of Governors (if your concern is about a member of teaching staff), or the Essex Child and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627.